


Danny/Claude Edition

by TicTok



Series: Special Deliveries [4]
Category: Hockey RPF
Genre: M/M, stork baby
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2014-04-30
Updated: 2014-04-30
Packaged: 2018-01-21 10:32:18
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 3,785
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/1547474
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/TicTok/pseuds/TicTok
Summary: <blockquote class="userstuff">
              <p>An accident is something you would change if you could fix it, a surprise is something you didn't know you wanted until you got it.</p>
            </blockquote>





	Danny/Claude Edition

Danny is still in shock when his phone rings. The tiny bundle on his bed is squirming and making soft fussing noises. He stares blankly at the parchment in his hand, running his fingers over the glimmering gold trim. 

His phone's ringing continues, the noise making the baby attempt to cry. Danny drops the scroll next to the baby on the bed and grabs for his phone. It is somewhere in his clothes, which are strewn haphazardly around the room where he dropped them on his way to the tub earlier.

“Uhuh?” Danny grunts into the speaker. The other end is silent. Danny runs a hand through his dark hair, still wet from the bath he was rudely pulled out of by the stork tapping at his window.

“Danny? What's going on?” Claude's voice is slow and sleep-laden. Danny's heart jumps a little and startles him out of his daze.

“Clo, I just...I guess you would have been notified...” Danny murmurs, running his fingers nervously over the edge of the towel wrapped around his waist. 

“This is amazing, Danny. We have a _baby girl.”_ Claude sounds more in awe than he really should considering the circumstance. 

“I don't understand how this happened...” Danny whispers, staring at the floor. Claude snorts. 

“You have three kids already, one of which was a stork delivery. You oughta know 'how this happened.'” Claude sneers in amusement. Danny can just see his air quotes and then his hand resting on his hip the way he does when he's irritated.

“Are you angry?” Danny asks, his tone unsure and soft. Claude sighs. Danny pictures all the anger run out of him, his shoulders slumping and his face softening. He knows Claude too well. He can tell exactly how he's moving and what he's doing at any given moment.

“No, Sneaks, I'm not angry.” Danny cringes at the nickname as Claude continues. “Just...surprised. Also pretty disappointed that I'm not there to meet her.”

Danny glances towards the bed. She's gone quiet, making Danny worry enough that he shuffles over to look at her. Her eyes are closed, and her face soft in sleep. Claude hums sadly, feeling every bit of the nearly 500 miles between them.

“I'm booking a flight. I'll be there as soon as I can. What is she like?” Claude sounds wistful. Danny puts the call on speaker and grabs a pair of boxers and some flannel PJ bottoms out of a drawer. He puts them on quickly and tosses the wet towel into his hamper while he talks.

“I don't know Claude, she's a baby. She's asleep.” Danny doesn't try to suppress the exasperation in his tone. The baby grunts quietly and squints at Danny. She kind of looks like Danny's other kids. Except a little tanner, and less pudgy than his boys had been. If Danny squints and tilts his head, he guesses she sort of looks like Claude.

“Okay. Well, I'm on my way. I will do some online shopping on the plane! Hey, pink, yellow or purple theme?” Claude says excitedly. Danny clenches his eyes at the familiar sound of Claude closing their bedroom door and pounding down the stairs.

“I don't care, Claude.” Danny sighs heavily. Claude grumbles and hangs up. The baby is awake, but doesn't look happy about it. Her little lips are pursed and her face pinched alarmingly similar to an expression Claude makes when he's irritated. 

Danny exhales and tosses his phone up towards the pillows. His first child had been a surprise. Not an accident, never an accident. They had always been very clear about that. Caelan was a surprise, not an accident. An accident is something you wouldn't do again if you could change it, a surprise is something you didn't know you wanted until you had it. 

Sylvie had called to tell him that she was pregnant while he was on a road trip. Through the whole pregnancy, they didn't have time to enjoy anything. They were both too scared of the future to pay attention to much else. But then, Caelan was there, and they were so in love with him. Nothing else mattered.

Carson's pregnancy was the most terrifying several months of Danny's life. He hadn't thought it could be worse than the first time. Sylvie was so ill throughout the entire pregnancy, Danny could hardly stand to see her suffering. Caelan didn't understand why mommy didn't want to play, and it was impossible to explain to a toddler. Carson's delivery was probably the scariest day of their lives. Carson was small and frail, with greyish skin that made Danny a little sick to look at. The doctors said that both Sylvie and Carson would be fine, but it didn't do anything to sway their resolution that they wouldn't have anymore birth children.

Cameron had been a stork delivery. They wanted him so badly. They talked about it every night before bed and whenever the boys weren't within earshot. Danny still remembers stumbling down the stairs with Carson on his hip, to find Sylvie and Caelan seated at the breakfast counter that morning. There had been a coloring book between them, and Sylvie was helping him color in the picture. When Caelan and Sylvie turned to look at him, they had gotten matching surprised expressions and stared over his shoulder. A lyrical trill had startled Danny, making him clutch Carson close and swing around to face the sound.

Sylvie had leapt off the stool, swooping Caelan up in her arms and swinging him around. She was yelling and cheering happily, making Caelan squeal in delight.

Standing in their open doorway, (a baby gate in place to let the warm summer air in and keep the boys from bolting out), had been a stork that stood taller than Danny. 

A sharp cry shakes Danny out of his memories, bringing him back to the present. The tiny infant is really crying now, not even just noise but watery eyes too. Danny reaches for her, cradling her in his arms in a familiar manner. 

She quiets only marginally, pausing to stare up at him with sad eyes, a tiny tear managing to squeeze out. 

“Shh, little miss surprise. Shh, no need for that.” He coos, rocking her soothingly. She stops crying at the sound of his voice. She wiggles uselessly against the wrap that holds her securely and smacks her lips in a way that Danny recognizers clearly. 

He calls his sister without a second thought, knowing she will be thrilled at the new addition and will come right over with supplies. Danny has two nephews, and is fully aware that his sister will spoil this litter girl to no end. Claude has a niece and a nephew, who he only gets to see occasionally. Danny has met them a few times, and has seen hundreds of pictures of them.

He hushes the baby and moves over to the chair by the window, so he can watch for his sister to get there. She only lives a few minutes away, and will have to stop to pick some things up for sure. She still arrives in under an hour.

She screeches into the driveway of his townhouse at breakneck speed, making Danny wince for her abused tires. He can't quite see her get out from the angle he is at, but he does hear his front door open and her trudging up the steps. 

“Danny...” She coos at him, dropping the bags by the door and making her way over to the chair. She sinks to her knees next to him and peers at the baby in his lap. She scolds him in French gently for a while. 

Yes, he knows he is a little old to start over with a baby. Yes, he knows he doesn't have any baby things. Yes, he knows he is too far away from his partner to raise a child properly.

“Sis,” He whines. “I know all of that, okay? I know. But I'm glad she's here. And I'm happy to have her with Claude. Thanks for bringing the basics for her. I think I just want to be alone with her and wait for Claude to get here.” 

She sighs, stroking the baby's rosy cheek with one finger. She stands up slowly and rests her hand on his shoulder. 

“You don't seem especially happy.” She sounds sad. “I'm tired of you being sad all the time, Daniel.”

Danny nods and readjusts the baby in the crook of his elbow. She gurgles, and smacks her lips again.

“I need to get a bottle ready for her.” He murmurs. He gets up gingerly, cradling her to his chest. 

“No one likes seeing you sulky and miserable. Claude wouldn't be happy if he knew how badly you have been handling the trade.” Her words cut deep, a little deeper than he can stand.

“Thanks again for coming.” He grits out, turning his back to her. She huffs, and manually spins him around to wrap him in a hug. She carefully avoids jostling the baby.

“You are my brother. I love you and I want you to be happy.” She grumbles into his shoulder. He puts one arm around her waist and nods. 

“I know. I love you, too.” He murmurs. She leaves then, but not before ruffling his hair just to irritate him into a laugh.

He stares down at the baby until he hears the front door close. She struggles against the wrap and blinks up at him, matching his own soft stare. She gurgles at him and squirms adamantly. 

“Okay, okay...” He whispers, heading over to get diapers and an outfit out of the bags. His sister, of course, bought the tackiest, frilliest, pinkest outfits she could find. He chooses the least frilly, a plain yellow onesie with matching yellow and white striped pants that have ruffles on the butt. After a moment of debate, picks one of the soft headbands too. It is white with an orange flower.

The baby starts to cry as soon as he sets her down on the bed between his outstretched legs. He hushes her and attempts to unwrap her lower half and get the diaper on her as fast as possible. He has vivid, mildly traumatic memories of the boy's diaper changes not far from his mind. When he releases her arms she starts to cry harder, flailing her legs and swatting her arms around in uncoordinated movements. 

He snorts when the wrap loosens off the top of her head. He tosses it aside and brushes his fingertips over the soft wisps of bright red hair. Of course, their child would have red hair. What else did he expect? He giggles a little to himself, touching the slightly pointed tops of her ears. Caelan and Cameron had been as bald as a baby could be. Carson had only had a few wisps of dark hair.

He dresses her quickly, only fumbling a little. Most baby skills were a once and done learning curve, something you never forgot. Getting little arms and little legs to stay in the right spots was always a challenge for him anyway. She is a very cooperative baby though, curling her legs and arms close to her body after he puts the them into the sleeves and pant legs. 

The headband is a little loose, which is better than too tight. Danny has seen the marks on baby girls heads from too tight headbands before, and just thinking about it makes him cringe. He quickly snaps a picture and sends it to his sister without any words attached. He thinks about sending it to Claude, but decides against it. Claude will see her when he gets there, better not spoil the surprise.

Downstairs, he cradles her against his chest with one arm while he mixes up a bottle and sets it in a pot of water on the stove to heat it. She is smacking her lips and searching on his shoulder hungrily, leaving drooly trails on his bare skin. He cringes and moves her to the crook of his arm. The “football” hold, if he remembers the term correctly. 

It makes him grin crookedly, remembering holding Cam like that so many mornings while he and Sylvie bumped into and around each other in the kitchen. They had been so happy back then. It wasn't until years later that they realized they no longer had anything in common. 

Sylvie was lonely, the boys were in school, Danny was gone every other week. He didn't blame her for the divorce, not one bit. It had been the most sensible thing for their situation. He's not sure how it got to that point, but one evening he looked across the dinner table and didn't know his wife anymore.

He reaches for the bottle with a sigh and drips it on the inside of his wrist. It is a little cool, but she is beginning a pathetic whine, so he shifts her around and pops it into her mouth. 

He has wonderful memories of Claude and the boys in addition to the ones he has of Sylvie and the boys. Claude is the best stepfather he could have ever imagined for the 3 of them. They are a handful and a half on a good day, and downright unmanageable on a bad day. Claude never loses patience, never raises his voice in anger at them. Danny has ended up angrier at himself than he was at the kids many times when they misbehaved and he lost his temper. He has yelled, and punished them too severely, made them cry, and worse, made them afraid of him.

He can't count the number of times he has had to get his head together and then go apologize to his kids. Claude too. He has lost his temper at Claude more times than he can count. Claude is forgiving to a fault, accepting Danny's apologies over and over again. 

Claude was always caring and sensitive towards the boys where Danny would have been unknowingly insensitive to their fears and feelings. Cameron, for instance, had nightmares for years. Sylvie had always dealt with that when they were still together. When Danny had the boys by himself, he didn't know how to handle it correctly. Danny didn't want Cameron slipping into the bed he shared with Claude and crawling in-between them. Twelve years old was too old for that sort of thing. So he thought. A very serious, one sided conversation with Claude in which Claude essentially told Danny that they were never kicking Cameron out of their bed, ever, finally convinced him to allow it. A month later the nightmares stopped.

It wasn't until much later that he realized how badly Cameron had needed that safety reassurance after his nightmares.

He stares down at the baby in his arms in mild bewilderment, wondering how his younger self could have ever treated his children the way he had. He shakes his head and vows that things will be different for her, he will be different for her.

  


Claude's plane finally lands in the early evening. He calls Danny immediately, letting him know that he's getting in a cab and will be there in a half hour. 

A little hysterically, Danny feels the need to clean up before Claude arrives. He knows Claude won't care about the state of the house or the way he looks, but still feels like he needs to do something with all his nervous energy.

He ends up just pacing around for a while before heading to the stairs, sitting down with the little girl lying on the tops of his thighs. Her feet paddle at his stomach gently. He cradles the back of his had in his hands and smiles at her.

Danny isn't sure how long it is until he hears the cab pull up to the house, he has been lost staring into the eyes of his newborn daughter. She has amazingly steady eyes, peering directly back at him whereas another baby's eyes would wander, scanning the surroundings unseeing.

Claude bursts in the door with a nervous grin plastered across his face. He drops his duffle bag by the door, being careful to be extra quiet. As though he hadn't just flung the door had enough to hit the wall.

“Hey,” Claude murmurs, clicking the door shut and making his way over to sit next to Danny. “Oh my god.” He babbles. He leans into Danny's side, wrapping an arm around Danny's waist.

Their daughter is awake, but only just. She is blinking slowly, no longer focusing on anything in particular. 

Claude tears his eyes away from her to giggle in Danny's ear and press a kiss to his cheek. Danny turns his head for a real kiss, sliding his lips across Claude's.

Claude sighs when Danny pulls back slightly.

“I miss you so much.” He whispers, dropping his forehead against Danny's.

Danny smiles sadly, replying with a soft, “I know the feeling.”

“Can I hold her?” Claude asks hopefully. Danny wants to roll his eyes, because _of course_ Claude can hold her.

“Lets go up to the couch.” He replies instead. Claude nods and leaps to his feet, bounding up the stairs. Danny gets up a little more carefully, scooping the baby up and propping her against his shoulder with a hand on the back of her neck and his other arm under her bottom.

When he get to the top of the stairs, Claude is waiting with his phone poised to start snapping pictures. Danny tries to smile for a few of them, but shakes his head fondly after a moment. 

Claude collapses onto the couch and puts a pillow on his lap, holding his arms out eagerly. Danny leans down and places her in his waiting arms. Claude coos happily at her and brushes his fingertips along the little wisps of red hair, brushing one finger down the bridge of her tiny nose. 

Danny sits down and shifts as close as possible to Claude. He tucks his legs underneath himself and leans heavily into Claude's shoulder. Their daughter falls asleep quickly, and Danny has to resist falling asleep too. 

He eventually fails. 

When he wakes up, the entire house is dark. The clock shoes that it hasn't been very long though. He lifts his head off Claude's shoulder and blinks at their daughter, barely illuminated by the moonlight of the window. She is awake, scanning the room with her eyes blankly. 

“Same deal, right? First one eliminated from playoffs joins the other.” Claude says quietly. Danny nods and sits up to stretch. “Unless we end up playing each other in finals. Which, like, I can't even think about...” 

Danny snickers softly, because that is pretty unlikely. It's a scary enough thought that he doesn't respond to it.

“I can stay the night, but I have to leave first thing tomorrow.” Claude is quiet and sounds painfully regretful. 

Danny yawns and stands up, heading towards the kitchen to mix a bottle for the baby. Claude follows him a moment later, squinting at the bright light Danny flipped on in the kitchen.

He watches carefully as Danny fixes the bottle and sets it in a pot of water to heat up again. It occurs to Danny that Claude has probably never gotten a bottle ready. Or changed a diaper. He smiles softly and walks up to Claude. He leans down to kiss the baby's head, just above the headband. Claude is grinning, showing off his missing tooth when Danny straightens up.

“She's the most precious thing I've ever seen.” Claude sighs out, his eyes fixed on her. Danny grabs the bottle and tests the temperature, plopping it back into the pot a second later. He crosses his arms and leans his hip against the counter, watching Claude with their daughter. It's certainly something else, looking at him with a newborn that looks so much like him.

“You say that now, wait until it's 2am and she's screaming loud enough that it echoes inside your head. None of the boys slept through the night until they were like 5 years old.” Danny says with a tired grin.

Claude goes still, getting a strange look on his face, and Danny can't be quite sure why. After a beat, Claude sniffs in that odd way of his and then the look is gone. 

Goosebumps spread across Danny's arms and chest. He brushes his hand along Claude's back as he goes by, off in search of a shirt. He pauses in the living room. Claude's bag is lying by the door, forgotten. He glances at Claude, who is cooing softly in French to the baby. Danny decides that he doesn't care what Claude will say, and snatches the first sweatshirt he finds in Claude's bag. He has no intention of letting Claude leave with it once he puts it on.

To his surprise, Claude says nothing when he comes back to the kitchen. The baby smacks her lips and kicks her little legs, stretching out. She whines a little bit, drawing Danny's full attention to her. She closes her eyes, and Danny sees the wail coming before it happens. Claude jumps at the loud shriek, his face turning red and his eyes getting big.

“Whats wrong with her?” Claude asks, sounding a little panicked. 

Danny laughs, and holds his arms out for her. Claude readily passes her over. 

“She's hungry. Its been hours since she ate last.” Danny props her against his shoulder and pats her back consolingly. It doesn't work. She screams continually as Danny guides Claude through checking the bottle temperature. Claude looks hilariously frazzled when he hands the bottle over. Danny readjusts the baby and holds the bottle in front of her lips. She starts drinking greedily, and Danny has to laugh at Claude's alarmed expression.

“That was nothing, Carson used to make the walls vibrate.” Danny grins, nudging Claude with his shoulder. Claude gets another weird look.

“I don't think I could do this on my own. I'm glad I have you. Lots of new memories to make.” Claude murmurs, draping his arms around Danny.

“Wouldn't dream of doing this with anyone else.” Danny replies, leaning back into Claude's chest. The baby blinks at them for another moment, then starts to fall asleep. She fights it valiantly, drifting off, and snapping back awake and drinking a few more gulps of formula. Claude chuckles in Danny's ear, sending a whole different sort of goosebumps skittering across Danny's skin.

Lots of memories to make, and a whole lifetime to make them.


End file.
